Chapter 19

He was right. The next time I opened my eyes it was to see streaks of sunlight stretching across my bedroom floor. I felt better but still weak, though I noticed the sensation of being sick had disappeared. Sitting up, my muscles stiff, I stretched, trying to work the kinks out. My stomach rumbled loudly as I got slowly to my feet, careful of my left leg; I did not want to damage it anymore than it already was. Putting my weight on it little by little, it held up, though it didn't quite want to straighten, the tissue and underlying muscle tight. It was pretty much healed, thank goodness and, within a couple more days, I was back up to full health, no thanks to the constant pestering of my aunts.

Despite how much work they had to catch up on, they still showed up at my house several times a day and forced me to drink the horrible concoctions they called "rejuvenation tonics", claiming it would help me. I tried telling them that meat and exercise would do me better but they never listened. The one time I'd tried appealing to Talon for help, he'd given me a look laced with guilt. He felt it was his fault that I'd been hurt both times, despite my protests to the contrary, and urged me to comply with the Witches' demands. I hadn't been able to deny him that, so I bit my lip and put up with it.

A profound sense of relief swamped when Aunt Annie released me from her care and the first thing I did was go for a run in the woods behind my house. Being confined to bed for most of the last week had made me stiff and restless and I'd just about gone insane with the need to move. I slid into my Panther skin with a sense of joy and spent a long while simply strolling through the trees, enjoying my new-found freedom. When the summer heat got to be too much, I went for a dip in the small pond beside my house, splashing about merrily just because I could. Contrary to popular belief, not all cats hate water. Big cats, especially lions and leopards, loved to swim and I was no exception.

As I swam, I thought, the recent events in my life floating to the forefront, though I tried to ignore the worst of it while puzzling the other bits.

Asking my aunts about all the tracking devices and spells had proved pointless. They wouldn't say who'd done which ones or why, just that they'd had their reasons. My father had admitted to the one in my ear when I'd talked to him on the phone yesterday. I hadn't pushed him for an explanation, however; he'd watched my mother disappear without a trace, and I figured he'd wanted a way to make certain I didn't do the same. Given the obviously over-protective move, it amazed me that he'd been persuaded to send me away as a teenager. It showed a great amount of trust in his Alpha and in Shamrock to keep me safe. And maybe that was why my aunts had planted the other bugs and spells on me.

Javen had also shared with me the actions being taken for the humans that had been abducted. The pack was providing for the funeral services for the nine that had been killed as well as paying the medical bills for the three that had survived. He said Mathias felt it was his duty because his daughter and a few others from his pack had used them as payment for services rendered by Lilitu. Marcus told me that he was working with my father to provide counseling for the three humans and even had employment opportunities should they be unable to go back to their formerly peaceful lives. It made me very glad to know good, responsible people actually existed and could be counted on to help others.

Moving out of the water, I shook myself off vigorously, spraying water everywhere before going to lay in the shade of a mature oak tree to doze. I couldn't sleep, not since I returned. Every time I moved from a light doze to a deep sleep, I dreamed about my capture, about not being able to move or escape because of the drugs, about the other captives. I saw their faces, heard their screams and knew I was helpless to save them. Sometimes, I dreamed it was me getting ripped to pieces. I'd awaken screaming, my sheets soaked with sweat and fear hanging like a thick fog around my bed. The only thing that kept the dreams away was Talon, my knight, my love. When I'd wake up from one of my nightmares, he'd offer me the comfort and safety of his arms and the promise that they'd fade in time.

Thinking about him, I felt the urge to run up to his house and share with him the news that I was all better now. He might even be willing to celebrate by staying in his huge bed for the rest of the day. I was half-way to my feet before I remembered that he wouldn't be there. He'd told me last night that he had to leave this morning and wouldn't be back for about a week, maybe longer. I already missed him and wished him home. I considered calling him but didn't want to interrupt his business; the last thing I wanted to do was come off as clingy.